Chandigarh, Aug 30 (IANS) Punjab Cabinet Minister Aman Arora, taking a dig at BJP leaders, on Saturday said their silence “is shocking at a time when the state is going through a crisis”.
“Instead of pressuring the Central government to immediately release a relief package during such times, BJP leaders are only focusing on finding faults with the state government,” Arora, who is also the chief of AAP unit of Punjab, told the media after flagging off 11 trucks of relief material for flood-affected areas.
Arora said the Haryana government’s statement about reducing the water quota has exposed the true face of the BJP-led Haryana government, the Central government, and Punjab’s BJP leaders.
He said the silence of Punjab’s BJP leaders during this crisis is truly surprising.
He said when “Punjab needs water for its crops, Haryana demands additional water. However, now when Punjab is urging Haryana to take excess water to save the state from flooding, the Haryana government has stated that it no longer needs water and is even talking about reducing the allocated quota”.
The AAP state chief questioned: “Where is the justice in this? When Punjab faces the brunt of floods, it is left to bear it alone, but when it comes to managing excess water, the Haryana government washes its hands of responsibility.”
He appealed to the Central government to increase the compensation amount from a mere Rs 6,800 per acre.
“Punjab, which feeds the entire nation, has suffered crop losses across lakhs of acres, and therefore, the state deserves a special relief package.”
Arora urged Opposition parties to rise above politics and work together to help the people. He highlighted that Punjab is currently facing a massive natural calamity.
Due to cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh, seven-eight districts of Punjab have been severely affected.
“From the first day, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, all ministers, MLAs, and the administration have been actively engaged in relief operations. The Punjab government is leaving no stone unturned to protect people’s lives, property, and economic resources.”
However, Arora emphasised that “it is everyone’s moral duty to come together and support the affected people”.
–IANS
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